Sunday, April 12, 2015

Why Do Right-Wingers Lie So Much? The Facts Don't Matter To Them, But Goebbels' Big Lie Does

By Manifesto Joe

It's hard to figure out how to begin this post, because the BS is so deep. One of the problems with the Internet is that any psychopath with a broadband connection can circulate swill all over cyberspace. The U.S. political right wing has developed a specialty in this. They are shameless liars.

One screed that's been traveling about the Web is called "Two States in the Middle of America." The "comparison" is between Illinois (Now Obama's home state, of course) and Oklahoma (home to half-witted climate-change deniers like Sen. James Inhofe). The fallacies run throughout this piece of manure (like manure), but I'll point out a few of them:

(1) The screed alleges that a teacher in Chicago makes an average of $110,000 a year. The real figure is $66,000 a year (Source: Indeed).

(2)"In the last six months, 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago, 221 killed in Iraq; AND Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws in the entire US."
FACT: The Chicago murder rate has dropped since 2000, from 627 that year to 431 in 2011. (Source: www.city-data.com)

(3) Throughout this screed, it is repeated that regarding problems in Illinois, "Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any." And yet in the "Chicago chain of command," the governor is misidentified. He's Bruce Rauner, a Republican. He defeated Pat Quinn, the incumbent Democrat.

It would take too long to dismantle this screed point by point, but those are some of the fallacies circulated to people via e-mail. Unfortunately, a lot of people are ignorant enough to believe this stuff when it gets in their e-mailbox.

For a good rundown on yet another recent source of right-wing disinformation, check out www.fitsnews.com, the post of 3/19, titled, "Why Rick Santorum's 'Holy War' Sells In SC."

There was a strange tirade directed at Santorum during his appearance at a national security forum in West Columbia, S.C. Virginia Ellisor, a former schoolteacher, was given the microphone to pose a question to the former Pennsylvania senator.

After an intro that was just standard Republican nonsense, she kept going, bellowing into the mic: "Why is the Congress rolling over and letting this communist dictator (Obama) destroy my country? ... He's not a citizen. ...

"Obama tried to blow up a nuke in Charleston a few months ago, and the three admirals and generals. He has totally destroyed our military. He has fired all the generals and the admirals who said they wouldn't fire on the American people if they ask 'em to do so if he wanted to take the guns away from 'em. This man is a communist dictator. ..."

Santorum, brave soul that he obviously is, didn't bother to correct this clearly demented woman. Instead, he responded that he was not a sitting member of the Senate at the time and could not be held responsible for anything that was not on his watch.

None of this foolishness is anything new. I tried some years ago, quite in vain, to reason with a person I knew who was a Dittohead, Lardbaugh-listening right-winger. He gave me a document that he got off the Internet alleging that Il Doofus (Bush 43) actually won the 2000 popular vote over Gore. I studied this thing and quickly saw that the Michigan popular vote was wrong by millions, and that this was what this horseshit was based on. This person, of course, was far too stupid to notice this.

Joseph Goebbels, the Nazis' propaganda chief, was a great believer in The Big Lie and its power to sway the common rabble. Our own right wing seems to have learned much from the Nazis, and in so many ways. There are plenty of substantive issues that they could be focused on, such as what was on some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's e-mails while she was secretary of state. But those kinds of factual fishing trips aren't enough. They want a whale of a tale, even if it turns out to be a false one.

10 comments:

Road to White House 2016
said...

You make some good points. But I don't think America can withstand another 8 years with a Clinton in the White House.Remember when Bill Clinton was president? Every week, there was a new scandal.I read where Gov. Perry is determining whether to run in 2016. I believe he'd make a good President. Thanks to his leadership, the Texas economy has been strong. I don't live in Texas, but I have friends there who say the economy is doing well.Sen. Rand Paul would probably also do well as President. He's a good, honest man. Goodness knows, we could use some honesty in the White House for a change. Perhaps Perry could be his V.P.The last time I checked the Constitution, there was nothing in it about Medicare, Food Stamps, Or Social Security. Clearly, we need to start trimming back some of these programs and get our budget priorities in order.We need a President who will be strong on defense. Otherwise, we could face another 9-11.I urge everyone to keep all this in mind when you head to the Voting Booth in 2016.

Yo Roadie!your pointless screed is exactly what Joe was attacking. Your positing from a selective memory of facts not in evidence is exactly what's wrong with the republi-can't party today.

I have determined the following truths apply to repub politics today:- Never tell the truth when a lie will do more to obfuscate reality- Lie to others, always. If friend is a repub, it's expected and not believed, while being passed on to others. If non-friend isn't a repub, the lie is all that's deserved ... in your arrogant opinion.- Lies serve your purposes to a greater extent than truth. Truth isn't even a commodity, much less a brand, to be valued.- republi-can't arrogance is re-enforced by ignorance. By spreading ignorance through denying reality and quashing education, the lies become a certain kind of political currency by which the hierarchy of republi-cant's is ordered.

Lastly ... none of what you posted is accurate. None is correct. You know absolutely bupkis about Texas' economy. All of their jobs came at the expense of unemployment elsewhere, and a free [tax-free] ride in such a manner that those new Tex residents pay no taxes to support education, public protection, roads, etc..

There is nothing in the Constitution about airplanes, rockets, autos, trucks, telephones, televisions, radios, cablevision, air traffic control, electricity or any of our modern conveniences.There is authority to moderate, regulate and supervise interstate commerce in the Constitution. Anytime goods or services are exchanged for currency or a promise to pay later, it is commerce. If any portion of the transaction crosses a state line or is imported from another sovereign nation, it is interstate.Reactionary pols keep whining about 'original intent' and other pseudo philosophical arguments addressing other fears of social equity they face. I have no respect for their lack of moral fibre.

That reminds me of an incident in the 2004 campaign. Bush was making a campaign appearance. A guy in the audience spoke up and said he didn't believe Kerry was a war hero and had only "suffered from a self-inflicted scratch" in Vietnam.Instead of correcting this guy, Bush said nothing about this B.S. and simply talked about other points the guy made.

In an earlier manifestation, I was a grunt in 'Nam. Even a Ranger Grunt, working in the delta with the MRF. Lt(jg). Kerry was the division officer of the Swift Boats. He and our LT [Rassmussen] concocted a procedure to cover our entry into the jungle. Lt.Kerry was ordered to abandon this practice for 'budgetary reasons'. The next day the Vice Admiral for Pacific Fleet Operations arrived to award Lt.Kerry a medal for this creative and innovative maneuver that his division utilized to insert Rangers more safely into hostile areas. The Lt., not Jr. Grade who was his boss was thoroughly embarrassed in public. He is the one who began the 'swift boating' of Kerry. He also is the male of thew marital team that introduced georgebush to laurawelch. Later during the 'swift-boating', he and his marital partner claimed to have no friendship with the shrubs, nor to have ever known or met them.

More lies from repub sources. They jus cain't he'p it. Lies are their 'stock-in-trade', without them they have nothing --- absolutely and positively nothing!.

Separated at birth ...

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Post of May 18, 2009

"I consider myself a reasonably tough person. But if you waterboarded me enough times, I would probably sign my house and car over to you and confess to the murders of Jonbenet Ramsey and the Lindbergh baby." -- MJ

About Me

As all my posts state, I am an underground writer living in Texas. I am doing political blogging under a nom de plume for various reasons. I was born in 1956 in a small Texas town; I now live in a medium-large city. I have been writing my entire adult life, and have been published, both mainstream and underground. In my teens I was actually a libertarian-type conservative. Meeting Young Republican types in college was crucial to my being cured of that once and for all. At one point in my 20s I was something of a Trotskyite, but eventually became a more moderate progressive.
Since I started this blog and affiliated with other blogs, my writing has appeared in the USA Today, CNN and Reuters online editions, in Buzzflash.com, Crooks and Liars, and a number of other popular sites. My invaluable mentors have been Marc McDonald at BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com, and Blue Girl of They Gave Us a Republic and other fine blogs.
In keeping with anonymity, this is all I should say.

See "Manifesto Joe's Great Moments in Conservative History, Chapter 1"

Favorite progressive movies

Mister Roberts -- see January 2009 post.

The Big Parade, The Crowd, Our Daily Bread, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Seven Days in May, Dr. Strangelove, The Grapes of Wrath, Silkwood, Salt of the Earth, Born on the Fourth of July, A Face in the Crowd, The Manchurian Candidate, Easy Rider, Chinatown, Reds, The Naked and the Dead.

Fear on Trial.

Open City, Seven Beauties, Swept Away, The Bicycle Thief, Grand Illusion, Fury, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremburg, Pressure Point, The President's Analyst, From Here to Eternity, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Milagro Beanfield War, Native Son, Bob Roberts, There Will Be Blood.

Modern Times, The Great Dictator, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Hombre, Cool Hand Luke, Pan's Labyrinth, Network, Cutter's Way, All Quiet on the Western Front, Twelve Angry Men, Matewan, Return of the Seacaucus Seven, American History X, Putney Swope, The Pawnbroker, In the Heat of the Night, Norma Rae, North Country.